Black Mold

“My nurse said she was going to report me if I didn’t get the pool room free of mildew,” my husband declared.

“What? Mildew? I didn’t know there was mildew in there,” I answered. I knew the dehumidified wasn’t working properly, because I had noticed a lot of steam on the windows and walls. But I was busy, and didn’t let the problem register on my need-to-do-fast list. I walked into the indoor pool room, and it looked like it was raining. Yes, it was wet in there, and had a musty smell.

On closer inspection, I noticed a few clumps of a dark plant-like growth protruding outward from the wall. I’d never seen anything like that before. It may have been black mold, but I couldn’t find any pictures of mold on the internet. There were little black spots over a large area. I retreated to the next room. Yes, something surely needed to be done immediately. I called around and no one in our city did mold remediation. I called the next larger city and was told they needed to come and give an on-the-scene quote and that alone would cost over $80.00.

I asked a friend of mine if she would be interested in her family cleaning the room. I knew I couldn’t do the work, because it took a ladder for the ceiling, and I can’t climb ladders. She and I researched the internet of how to do it safely. I could tell there were several companies who wanted to make a lot of money, and didn’t want to share any information. A couple of sites did, and we prepared for the big day of cleaning.

It took special masks, good outward ventilation, proper clothing, rags, and lots of bleach in the proper solution. I believe the formula was 2 cups bleach to a gallon of water and detergent. All cleaning rags and debris were contained in a plastic bag and thrown away in the dumpster. They sprayed all surfaces, wiped them down, and then came back and sprayed a bleach solution that would remain and dry on the walls. Seven hours later, the job was finished.

My son repaired the dehumidifier. I would have checked it out as maintenance, but it was on the roof. And that took a ladder.

My husband and I had been having a runny nose, watery eyes, and a persistent cough for several days. We thought these symptoms could have been related to the mold problem. We were fortunate we didn’t have greater medical problems, and blessed our friends did such a good job.